novelonline Chapter 1407 Jia Heng: I don’t want casualty figures, I just want Ning Yuan! (3 more monthly tickets
Chapter 1407 Jia Heng: I don’t want casualty figures, I just want Ning Yuan! (3 more monthly tickets
Chapter 1407 Jia Heng: I don’t want casualty figures, I just want Ning Yuan! (Third update, asking for monthly tickets!)
Ningyuan City
It was dusk, the sky was gloomy, and dark clouds were rolling, as if a storm was brewing.
Just like that, after more than ten days of siege, there was a pile of corpses lying in a mess outside Ningyuan City, blood was visible, and the moat was also full of blood.
Just like that, amidst the stench that made people cover their noses.
At this moment, potholes can be seen on the surface of the city wall, and a corner of the city gate tower has collapsed. Flags with burnt holes in them are fluttering in the wind.
On the top of the city wall, Jirgalang, accompanied by his nephew Aiduli, inspected the entire city. When he saw the collapsed parts, he repeatedly ordered the grooms beside him to speed up the repairs.
But at this critical moment of a war, patchwork is obviously of no use.
"Uncle, the flag soldiers have suffered heavy casualties in the past few days." Ai Duli said.
Jirgalang also had a solemn expression on his face, and said, "The firepower of the Han army is too fierce, and this red barbarian cannon is particularly difficult to deal with."
This happened several times, and the Qing troops were unable to resist and almost broke through the city. It was Jirgalang and Aiduli who personally led the troops to the top of the city.
Ai Duli nodded, and said in a slightly lowered voice: "My Qing Dynasty also has red cannons, but they seem to be incomparable to the Han people's red cannons."
Jirgalang's face was full of indignation. He said, "The Han court is good at these strange and tricky things. We are latecomers and naturally cannot compare with them."
Ai Duli said: "My Lord, if this continues..."
Jirgalang said: "We can only fight to the death and die for our country."
Before leaving, Jirgalang had given Dorgon a military order, which required him to defend the city.
At this moment, there was a loud rumbling thunder, and above the sky, dark clouds rolled over. With a crackling sound, thunder and lightning flashed, and there was wind and rain.
In an instant, heavy rain began to fall.
Jirgalang raised his eyes to the rising sky, and said in a lighter tone, "It's going to rain today."
"Uncle, if it rains a little bit, the Han army's artillery will be helpless." Ai Duli said excitedly.
The personal guards quickly handed over an umbrella to shield Prince Zheng Jirgalang from the wind and rain.
Jirgalang pushed aside the umbrella and said with a hearty laugh: "It's good that it's raining. Our army can rest for a few days."
In the past few days, it can be said that Ningyuan City has been almost flattened, and the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty in Ningyuan City have also entered a state of high mental tension.
While Jirgalang was ecstatic about the heavy rain, Jia Heng, who was in the central army tent, was in an inexplicable state of "baby being unhappy".
Jia Heng's expression paused at this moment. He stood in front of a white military tent and stared up at the sky. Chen Xiao beside him held up an oil-paper umbrella. At this moment, the rain was hanging on the umbrella like a curtain.
Jia Heng looked into the distance, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and said, "The weather was not good with the rain, which gave the Jurchen soldiers in Ningyuan City a chance to catch their breath."
Chen Xiao's cold eyes flashed, and he said, "But it may not be a bad thing. A taut string suddenly loosens, and it will not be easy to tighten it again."
Jia Heng trimmed his eyebrows, turned his eyes to look at Chen Xiao, smiled, and said in a clear voice: "Yes, this is called thinking positively about everything."
Chen Xiao paused for a moment, his eyebrows slanting down into his temples, and whispered, "Let the soldiers rest for a few days, recuperate, and try to break through the city in one fell swoop."
Jia Heng nodded and said nothing more.
Then, the two men walked into the military tent. At this moment, Chen Xiao picked up a pot of hot tea in a blue and white porcelain bottle, picked up the teacup, and gently poured a cup. Steam was rising and the fragrance of tea was curling up.
Chen Xiao took a sip of tea and said softly, "Golden swords and iron horses, listening to the rain in the tent, it is a unique mood."
Jia Heng also took a sip of tea and said, "No news from Liaoyang yet?"
Chen Xiao said softly: "They are still attacking the city over there. I'm afraid they are still waiting for news from your main battlefield."
Jia Heng said: "It's not that easy to capture a city or a stronghold."
Chen Xiao said softly: "The Liaodong troops are now divided in Ningyuan. What is the purpose?"
"It's just a delay, hoping to slow down the speed of our army's movement, so that our country's treasury will be depleted and our income will not be enough to cover our expenses. By then, the central government will be shaken, and then the deadly chess game of the Jurchens will be solved."
In ancient times, emperors would not feel at ease if a war lasted too long. As the saying goes, times change and power falls into the hands of others.
Chen Xiao said: "Then why don't you ignore the casualties and fight quickly..."
At the end, Chen Xiao was shocked and understood instantly.
Yes, it is indeed not appropriate to end the war too early.
Jia Heng said loudly: "Wait a little longer and let things take their own course."
He did not want to delay the decision, but wanted to wait and see. It couldn't be too smooth, otherwise, it would not be difficult to be conferred the title of Prince.
Deep down, I have thought about the perfect plot of conquering Liaodong City and then Emperor Chongping's death, but it is actually very difficult.
The emperor seemed to have a tenacity in his heart and was determined to see Liaodong pacified.
Chen Xiao paused for a moment, then whispered, "That's fine."
Jia Heng glanced at Chen Xiao intently, then lowered his head to sip the fragrant tea. As he listened to the sound of the rain, time passed silently.
In this way, the heavy rain in midsummer lasted for three days. After three days of heavy rain, the sky finally cleared up on the fourth day.
The Han army finally rested and regrouped, and once again attacked Ningyuan City, where the Jurchens were stationed.
"Dong Dong Dong!!!"
As the drum beats became as dense as raindrops, a large number of Han soldiers rushed towards Ningyuan City like a tide.
"Whizzing!"
Along with the sound of arrows breaking through the air, arrows as dense as locusts suddenly hit the soldiers on the battlements of the entire city wall.
With the sound of "puff", soldiers fell down from the battlements of the city wall one after another.
This time, the Han army's offensive was undoubtedly more fierce.
At this moment, Jia Heng personally supervised the battle and selected the bravest and most elite soldiers from the 12th Regiment of the Beijing Camp.
Ningyuan City
Prince Zheng Jirgalang was gazing into the distance at this moment, his eyes showing a solemn look, because as he looked around, he could see a large number of soldiers rushing towards the city wall.
"Uncle, the Han army is determined to take the city in one go." Aiduli, Jirgalang's nephew, said.
Jirgalang frowned and said, "Hold on. Hold on to this wave, and the Han army will naturally retreat."
But this time it was obviously different. The Han army's offensive was fiercer, far more than before. At this moment, a large number of soldiers, armed with weapons, swept towards the city wall.
At this moment, Jia Heng was watching the scene of the Beijing army fighting bravely for the first place through a monocular telescope. His eyes fixed on the monocular telescope in his hand.
Chen Xiao, who was standing by, raised his eyebrows, his eyes were as clear as water, and he said, "This means a lot of casualties."
Jia Heng said: "I don't want casualties, I only want Ningyuan! This time we must take Ningyuan City in one fell swoop. After taking Ningyuan City, we will confront Dorgon on the Songjin line."
"Don't you plan to follow the routine anymore?" Chen Xiao's eyes flickered under his curved eyebrows, and he stared at him and asked in a low voice.
Jia Heng turned his eyes to Chen Xiao and said in a deep voice: "It has been delayed for too long. The Songjin line gives Dorgon the most time to reorganize his military preparations. We must not sacrifice public interests for personal ones."
There are some things that you can't expect too much.
Chen Xiao stared at the young man in the python robe with his clear eyes under his willow eyebrows and whispered, "That's fine too."
In this way, a siege battle lasted from morning to evening, when dusk fell and the sky was high and vast.
The central military tent was brightly lit, with several shadows projected on it.
Jia Heng sat behind a lacquered wooden table, with a thoughtful look on his calm and resolute face.
Below them were several officers from the Beijing camp and Cao Bianjiao, the deputy general of Shanhaiguan, who were the soldiers leading the siege today.
Jia Heng said, "Today, the troops advanced bravely, but Ningyuan City has not wavered at all. What do you think, generals?"
At this time, an officer from the Beijing camp bowed and said, "General, the artillery has not provided any support for the artillery fire today."
Jia Heng frowned and said in a deep voice: "Without the support of artillery, the war cannot be fought?"
The officer was speechless for a moment.
Jia Heng said: "Continuous fierce attacks with cannons and guns consume a lot of resources. Our army still needs to use them in Jinzhou and Shengjing. Don't count on them. Now on the top of the city, the Jurchens also don't have cannons and guns. Are they also fearless and willing to fight with our army?"
The officer was ashamed when he heard this, and he bowed his hands and said, "It is right, Commander Jie."
Jia Heng said: "Tomorrow morning, we will cook and attack Ningyuan City. The Red Barbarian Cannon will provide some support. I hope you will do your best."
In fact, this was also a blow to arrogant morale. As time passed, the soldiers and generals of the Beijing camp gradually began to become arrogant and lazy.
Otherwise, if you always carry this mentality with you and go to fight against the main force of the Qing army, you may suffer a great loss.
Dorgon was not only good at commanding troops, but also wise and brave, and his strategic vision was also the best in the world.
After all the generals dispersed, Chen Xiao looked at Jia Heng and said, "You got so angry and the siege was frustrated. Wasn't it expected?"
"An army of more than 100,000 was blocked by the city of Ningyuan for more than half a month." Jia Heng said in a deep voice with an indifferent expression.
Of course he knew that this was normal, but when he saw that the Beijing troops, who had been carefully trained and drilled, did not perform beyond his expectations, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
And there is one more thing...
"Didn't you say earlier that we should take it slow? Why are you so impatient now?" Chen Xiao rolled his eyes at the young man in the python robe and said, "Wait for the soldiers in Ningyuan City. These 30,000 Jurchen Tartars will live and die with the city."
"We can't delay too long. After summer is over and the weather turns cold in autumn, there will be heavy snow in October and November. It will be disadvantageous for our army's supply. If we take Ningyuan City, we will be able to handle it with ease even if we have to confront Jinzhou." Jia Heng said, his expression gradually returning to normal. He took the teacup handed to him by Chen Xiao and took a sip of tea.
Chen Xiao nodded and said, "What should we do next?
Jia Heng's calm face immediately became calm again, and he said, "Continue to attack the city. After a few more days, it should be almost done."
At this moment, in Ningyuan City——
The yamen was also brightly lit.
Prince Zheng Jirgalang sat on a prime minister's chair, his broad face with a beard under his chin was full of worry.
"Uncle, the situation today is a little bad."
After resisting for nearly half a month, Ningyuan City had actually suffered heavy casualties, and there were less than 20,000 soldiers and horses in the city.
This was a rather horrifying number of casualties, but the members of the Eight Banners of the Jurchens, inspired by Jirgalang, were fearless and brave.
In fact, this is also because there is no way to retreat, as Shengjing City is not far behind.
All the soldiers of the Eight Banners knew what would happen if Liaodong was conquered by the Han court.
Jirgalang said: "Tell all the troops under your command that the crazier the Han army is, the more it shows that they have a big problem with the supply of military supplies. As long as our army can hold on for another month, things will get easier later."
Ai Duli said loudly: "Your Majesty,"
Gulmahong pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if this continues, both blue flags will be defeated."
"Even if we fight to the last soldier, and I die here, we cannot let the Han army approach Jinzhou city calmly." A fierce look flashed across Jirgalang's face, and he said in a deep voice.
Ai Duli and Gulmahong looked solemn and said with emotion: "We, the descendants of Aisin-Gioro, have been blessed by our ancestors and should live and die with the country!"
Jirgalang said in a deep voice: "Go down and prepare the troops to guard the city."
Upon hearing this, Aiduli and Gulmahong bowed to Jirgalang, and then left the hall without saying anything more.
Only Jirgalang was left, sitting on the chair, with a look of extreme dejection on his calm face.
After a while, the groom outside interrupted Jirgalang's thoughts by speaking under the eaves.
"Your Highness, a letter from Jinzhou." As he spoke, the majestic-looking groom entered the hall and bowed to Jirgalang.
At this time, the guard walked quickly forward, took the letter from the groom, and handed it to Jirgalang.
Jirgalang opened the letter and read it carefully. As time passed, a moving expression appeared on his face.
Dorgon first commended Jirgalang for his defense of Ningyuan City, and then encouraged Jirgalang to try to keep the Han army at the gate of Ningyuan City until October.
At that time, when the weather turned cold, the Han army would definitely find it difficult to adapt to the bitter cold weather in Liaodong.
"October, damn it, it can't be stopped even next month." Jirgalang crumpled up the letter and cursed angrily.
It’s not that I cherish my life, but rather an unspeakable helplessness.
The Qing Dynasty is about to end.
There is no hope of a turnaround at all.
But when the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?
……
……
Before I knew it, as time slowly passed, another three days had passed.
During the past few days, after being reprimanded by Jia Heng, the officers and soldiers of the Han army's Beijing camp felt ashamed and brave, and began to attack the city on a large scale, causing huge casualties to the Jurchen soldiers in Ningyuan City.
On this day, Jia Heng was riding on a maroon horse, holding the reins and observing the battle situation with a monocular telescope in his hand.
Chen Xiao frowned, stared at the young man in the python robe, and asked, "It's almost time. I think Ningyuan City won't be able to hold on for much longer."
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "It seems to be almost done. The rain in the past few days has almost penetrated the city wall. Let's have people dig the soil under the city wall and bury the explosives to blow up the city in one fell swoop."
The reason why this trick was not used before was because the soldiers in the city were still strong. Even if the city wall was blown up, the soldiers in the city would block it in time.
It does not constitute the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
On the second day, the sky brightened and the morning light from the east illuminated the military tent. Smoke rose from the kitchen, and teams of soldiers wearing flying saucer helmets and holding goose-feather swords were having breakfast.
"Dong dong dong..."
Accompanied by the inspiring drumbeats, under the leadership of the officers of the Beijing Camp, the 12th Regiment of the Beijing Camp Han Army approached Ningyuan City in a vigorous and high-spirited manner.
During this period, with Jia Heng's encouragement, the entire Beijing camp held their breath, carrying ladders and holding weapons, and attacked the city.
At this moment, Cao Bianjiao also led his Shanhaiguan troops to attack Ningyuan City.
"Boom!!!"
Along with the sound of the red cannon's bombardment, a large number of Han soldiers surged upward like a tide.
This time, long-range artillery support was naturally supplied in sufficient quantities.
A large number of Han soldiers, led by the lieutenant general and the guerrilla general, braved the battering rams, arrows and stones and climbed towards the city wall along a wooden ladder.
Many generals at the level of commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp and regiment camps personally took up their swords and went to the battlefield. Cao Bianjiao led the troops, took the lead, and carried ladders to charge towards Ningyuan City.
The Qing army in Ningyuan City was unable to withstand this offensive and fell into panic.
As time passed, many Han soldiers climbed up to the top of the city wall, stood back to back, holding a goose-feather knife, and fought with the soldiers on the top of the city wall with knives.
After a while, the sound of "ding ding dang dang" was heard, and the sound of swords colliding and weapons entering flesh was intertwined, followed by a continuous groan of pain.
A large number of Jurchen soldiers fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
At this moment, Gulmahong led a group of soldiers and rushed to the top of the city to provide support. This fierce Jurchen general held a ring-handled knife in his hand. Wherever he passed, there was blood rain, broken limbs and arms, and a mess.
At this moment, Cao Bianjiao also caught sight of the fierce Jurchen general. He snorted coldly, his eyes full of murderous intent, and rushed towards Gulmahong.
The spear thrust out like a silver dragon, stabbing towards Gulmahon.
Gulmahong's heart shuddered, and he felt a cold light piercing his face no matter how far away he was. His eyes were deep under his thick eyebrows, and then he dodged to the side.
Gulmahong swung the ring-handled sword in his hand towards the young general in white robe. The sword and the spear collided at this moment, and a sharp sound was heard, which echoed throughout the battlefield and made the eardrums of the surrounding soldiers hurt.
Gulma Hong's expression suddenly changed, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Cao Bian Jiao!"
As the deputy commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, Cao Bianjiao once defeated the soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner led by Jirgalang in a frontal cavalry attack. How could Gulmahong not recognize him?
Cao Bianjiao's sword-like eyebrows, eyes like lightning, as clear as a god, said loudly: "Your grandfather is here!"
"Come and die!"
As he spoke, the spear rushed towards Gulmahon like a dragon.
Gulmahong's face was fierce and ferocious. He roared and rushed towards Cao Bianjiao with the ring-handled knife in his hand.
Cao Bianjiao snorted coldly, and hit Gulmahong's ribs hard with the spear in his hand.
clang clang...
After less than ten rounds, Gulmahong was already in a desperate situation, unable to resist, and in danger.
The spear thrust forward quickly, like the sound of a flute and suddenly, it turned into a dragon that stirred up wind and waves, and swept towards Gulmahong.
Gulmahong was not careful for a moment and felt a pain in his neck. It was clearly the bright silver spear that pierced his neck. The indescribable pain made the ring-handled broadsword in Gulmahong's hand fall to the ground with a "clang".
He wanted to reach out and grab the neck, but immediately, as the spear was retracted, streams of bright red, blinding blood flowed out from the neck.
Immediately, Gulmahon's consciousness fell into permanent darkness.
Cao Bianjiao roared and swept his spear across the army, turning many of them into dead souls.
At this moment, a team of soldiers had approached the city wall and were digging a big hole at the corner of the wall. After a short while, they stuffed black explosives into it, pulled out the fuse, and then took out a fire starter to ignite it.
Puff puff puff...
The fuse ignites quickly and finally burns to the end.
"boom!"
A deafening sound rang out, and Ningyuan City seemed to be shaken.
A huge hole suddenly appeared in the city wall, revealing the scene inside Ningyuan City.
At this point, the fall of Ningyuan City is a foregone conclusion!
(End of this chapter)